Emily Johnson
Mushrooms are a type of fungus, specifically eukaryotic organisms with a cell wall. Fungi include yeasts, moulds, and mushrooms, and most are multicellular, except for yeast, which is unicellular. Fungi are not able to produce their own food and must source it externally, unlike plants. They also do not rely on photosynthesis, instead seeking carbon in organic form. There are around 3,000 species of mushroom in Quebec, and they come in a variety of colours, shapes, and sizes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of cell | Majority are multicellular |
| Kingdom | Fungi |
| Cell wall | Yes |
| Heterotrophs | Yes |
| Habitat | Wide array of habitats, including the surface of plant leaves, within the colons of mammals, or in soil and bodies of water |
| Carbon source | Organic carbon |
| Ecological categories | Saprobes, parasites, or mutualists |
| Saprobes | Derive nutrition from decaying biological matter |
| Parasites | Depend on a host for sustenance |
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What You'll Learn
Mushrooms are multicellular
Fungi, including mushrooms, are microorganisms that can be unicellular or multicellular. Unicellular fungi, which make up about 1% of known species, are known as yeasts. The remaining 99% of fungi are multicellular, including mushrooms.
Mushrooms are the reproductive structures of macrofungi, which are generally visible to the human eye. When macrofungi are not reproducing, they exist as networks of branching, thread-like filaments called hyphae. Each network is known as a mycelium. Mycelium can grow on various surfaces, including soil, decaying material, and even living tissue.
The giant Armillaria solidipes (honey mushroom) is considered the largest organism on Earth, spreading across more than 2,000 acres of underground soil in eastern Oregon. This is an example of how mushrooms, as part of the macrofungi family, can grow to impressive sizes.
Mushrooms play essential ecological roles in most terrestrial ecosystems. They can be saprobes, deriving their nutrition from decaying organic matter, or parasites, depending on other organisms for sustenance. They are also a food source for humans, with a long history of being cultivated and consumed.
In summary, mushrooms are multicellular reproductive structures produced by macrofungi under the right conditions. They exhibit a diverse range of forms, colors, and sizes, with some species being edible and others highly toxic.
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Fungi are eukaryotic organisms
Unicellular yeasts can be dimorphic, meaning they can grow as oval, budding yeast, but under certain conditions, they may produce filament-like structures similar to molds. Molds are multinucleated, filamentous fungi composed of hyphae, and they reproduce primarily through asexual spores.
Multicellular fungi, on the other hand, grow as long, branching filaments called hyphae. When multicellular fungi are not producing reproductive structures, they exist in their habitats as networks of hyphae, each known as a mycelium. Mycelia can become visible to the naked eye, such as on damp walls and spoiled food, where they are commonly called molds. Some individual fungal colonies can reach extraordinary dimensions, as seen in the case of a clonal colony of Armillaria solidipes.
Macrofungi, which include most mushroom-forming fungi, produce visually macroscopic reproductive structures known as mushrooms. These mushrooms can range from a few millimeters to several meters across and exhibit a diverse range of forms, including corals, crusts, polypores, puffballs, boletes, jellies, and cups. The majority of macrofungi fall into three ecological categories: saprobes, parasites, or mutualists. Saprobes, such as the genus Onygena, derive their nutrition from decaying biological matter, while parasites feed on living matter.
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Yeasts are unicellular
Fungi are highly diverse and come in a wide variety of forms. While mushrooms are multicellular, yeasts are unicellular fungi, representing about 1% of currently described species. The term "yeast" is often used interchangeably with the species name "Saccharomyces cerevisiae", but the phylogenetic diversity of yeasts is reflected in their classification within two distinct phyla: Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.
Yeasts have two mating types, "a" and "α" or "h+" and "h-", and can exist in both haploid and diploid states. Depending on the environmental conditions, yeasts can undergo sexual or asexual reproduction. When nutrients are abundant, asexual reproduction occurs through budding or fission, resulting in the formation of daughter cells. In contrast, when nutrients are scarce or during stressful conditions, yeasts mate to produce diploid cells.
Yeasts play a significant role in various industries, including baking and brewing, where they convert carbohydrates into carbon dioxide and alcohols through fermentation. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as Baker's or Brewer's yeast, is the most commonly used species in these industries. Additionally, yeasts have found applications in biofuel production and electricity generation in microbial fuel cells.
In summary, yeasts are unicellular fungi that exhibit diverse characteristics and have important applications in various industries. Their ability to undergo fermentation and their ease of cultivation have made them valuable tools for humans throughout history.
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Mushrooms are not plants
Fungi, including mushrooms, are not plants. While fungi have historically been grouped with plants, they are distinct in several ways. Fungi reproduce using spores, which are not the same as the seeds of plants. Spores are an asexual form of reproduction that is so small and light that they can be carried by the gentlest air currents.
Fungi also have a different respiratory process from plants. Plants take in carbon and expel oxygen, while fungi, like animals, need oxygen to thrive and expel carbon.
Fungi are also more closely related to animals than they are to plants. Molecular evidence demonstrates that fungi share a more recent common ancestor with animals than with plants. This is despite the fact that fungi have been studied as part of botany and have been classified as plants in the past.
Fungi also have unique traits that are not found in plants or animals. For example, the mushroom is not the whole fungus but just a fruiting body, similar to how an apple is to a plant. The mycorrhiza, or roots of the mushroom, can form a mutual benefit symbiotic relationship with the roots of nearby plants. This is another way in which fungi differ from plants, as they can provide nutrients and structure to plants through this relationship.
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Fungi have cell walls
Fungi, including mushrooms, have cell walls. These cell walls are rigid and contain complex polysaccharides called chitin and glucans. Chitin, also found in the exoskeletons of insects, gives structural strength to the cell walls of fungi. The wall protects the cell from desiccation and predators.
The molecular composition of the cell wall is critical for the biology and ecology of each fungal species. Most cell walls are layered, with the innermost layer comprising a conserved structural skeletal layer and the outer layers tailored to the physiology of particular fungi. The inner cell wall consists of a core of covalently attached branched β-(1,3) glucan with 3 to 4% interchain and chitin. β-(1,3) Glucan and chitin form intrachain hydrogen bonds and can assemble into fibrous microfibrils that form a basket-like scaffold around the cell. This exoskeleton provides structural support and resists the internal hydrostatic pressure exerted on the wall by the cytoplasm and membrane.
The outer layers of fungi vary much more than the inner skeletal layer. Most fungi have a common alkali-insoluble core of branched β-(1,3) glucan, β-(1,6) glucan, and chitin but differ substantially in the components attached to this core. For example, in C. albicans, the outer wall is heavily enriched with highly mannosylated proteins that are mostly attached via glycosylphosphatidylinositol remnants to β-(1,6) glucan and to the β-(1,3) glucan-chitin core. In contrast, in A. fumigatus, mannan chains are of lower molecular weight and are modified with β-(1,5) galactofuran, typical of many filamentous fungi.
Fungi can be unicellular, multicellular, or dimorphic, meaning they can be either unicellular or multicellular depending on environmental conditions. Unicellular fungi are known as yeasts and represent about 1% of currently described species. Multicellular fungi grow as long, branching filaments called hyphae. When multicellular fungi are not producing reproductive structures, they exist in their habitats as networks of hyphae, each known as a mycelium.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushrooms are multicellular. Fungi, including mushrooms, are eukaryotic organisms composed of filaments called hyphae. Their cells are long and thread-like and connected end-to-end.
Yes, yeast is a unicellular fungus.
Unicellular organisms are made up of a single cell, whereas multicellular organisms are made up of multiple cells.
